Duffey wins prep title in 1-meter diving event
All Bridget Duffey ever wanted was a chance to compete against the other top prep school divers. Duffey, a junior at the Pingree School, received that chance this year, when Pingree teamed up with the Landmark School to form a swimming and diving team. Duffey made the most of her opportunity, winning the 1-meter diving competition at the New England Prep School Swimming and Diving Championships last Saturday at Phillips Exeter Academy.
The Boxford resident posted the third-highest score in New England Prep School history for an 11-dive competition with 433 points, falling just 4.95 points short of the New England Prep record and besting her nearest competitor by almost 40 points. Duffey also set a personal record with a score of 51 points on her final dive, a 2 1/2 back twisting layout. The New England title capped an undefeated season for Duffey. Pingree-Landmark also got a great effort from Landmark swimmer Pat Shea of Peabody, who placed second in the 500 freestyle in a time of 4 minutes 53.21 seconds.
Duffey and Landmark swimmer Jonathan Richman were the driving forces behind the formation of the cooperative Pingree-Landmark team. The team came into being after Duffey's mother, Patty, read about Richman's plight. Richman, who is dyslexic, had to give up swimming two years ago when he transferred to Landmark, which specializes in teaching students with language-based learning disabilities. Richman's mother, Sara, and Patty Duffey joined forces to campaign for a team.
Bridget Duffey, an accomplished Junior Olympic-level diver who competes for Boston Area Diving, said she always wondered how she stacked up against other high school divers.
''All my friends from BAD, every year they would get excited for the high school season and going to states, and I could never be part of that," Duffey said. ''I've always wondered where I rank, and now I finally have my own people to rank with. There's a lot of good divers in the prep school league. It's just really exciting . . . like a whole new world."
Duffey's quest to dive in high school was driven by the idea of being able to add a good New England Prep School finish to her resume, but in the process she discovered something more -- camaraderie.
''I'm not part of many other sports. So I never get the feeling of a team dinner or of doing my sport with my friends. This is a first for me." So is the New England title.